


Interlude

by Wooster



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Autistic Keith (Voltron), Galra Keith (Voltron), Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-05
Updated: 2017-05-05
Packaged: 2018-10-28 12:20:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10831152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wooster/pseuds/Wooster
Summary: Fresh off the mission to protect Berlua, Keith's left to figure out his place in the galaxy when he runs into Hunk.A tribute ficlet toSquirenonny'soutstanding "Voltron: Duality" saga.





	Interlude

**Author's Note:**

  * For [squirenonny](https://archiveofourown.org/users/squirenonny/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Another Word for Never](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7638178) by [squirenonny](https://archiveofourown.org/users/squirenonny/pseuds/squirenonny). 



> This non-cannon ficlet takes place between "[Another Word for Never](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7638178)" and "[Someplace Like Home](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8811013)" by Squirenonny in the outstanding "[Voltron: Duality](http://archiveofourown.org/series/572659)" saga. If you haven't read "[Another Word for Never](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7638178)" you'll probably be lost. Also, you're missing out.
> 
> Seriously.
> 
> I'm more excited to see where [Squirenonny's](http://archiveofourown.org/users/squirenonny/pseuds/squirenonny) taking this AU than I am for the upcoming S3 of Voltron. It's seriously that good.

Keith wandered the castle, alone. After the adrenalin had run its course on Berlou, Keith found himself more lost than he had ever been in his life.

Shiro had found his friends, and Keith was happy for him, kinda. Sort of. The former Champion looked more composed and at ease when swapping tales with his fellow humans, especially Matt, than he ever had with Keith. 

He could admit, at least to himself, that he was jealous in a broad sense. The Shiro that Keith had known all this time was a poor facsimile of the one that was now several decks up catching up on lost time. The Shiro Keith knew was tense, guarded, but not unkind. This Shiro was open, relaxed, and if Keith had to put a word to it… happy, in a genuine sense.

It was like meeting a different person.

And when put in that light, Keith didn’t know anyone here, not really. It hadn’t bothered him before. Any connections he had to his former Galra were tenuous at best. It was part of what made turning such an easy decision.

But now that Shiro had found his place in the universe, it was time for Keith to figure out his.

While piloting the Red Lion was certainly an experience, one he wouldn’t mind the opportunity for again in the future, it wasn’t his place, not long term at least. Yes, Shiro had voiced that he’d like him to stay, but the green and blue paladins had made it crystal clear that he was unwelcome. That didn’t even address that they already had a red paladin. In that sense, Keith was like Allura, a stop gap in between when the Voltron lion could be properly piloted. The former Galra prince wouldn't abandon them so long as Matt was out of commission, but where did that leave him af—

Keith’s musings were interrupted when something heavy and metal flew at him from an open door. The young Galra ducked, barely missing a projectile sauce pan.

Beyond the door, Hunk was clutching a frying pan like a bludgeon. A torrent of emotions rushed through the Yellow Paladin’s face in an instant: fear, confusion, and ultimately shock and worry. “Oh my God. I’m so sorry Keith,” Hunk apologized. His words ran in an unending stream that it was almost hard to follow. “I saw the uniform out of the corner of my eye and I panicked.”

Keith’s ears pressed against his head. All things considered, it wasn’t an unwarranted action, especially considering the last time there were Galra in the castle, what with Sendak and trying to commandeer it. It just was just one more reminder that his place wasn’t with Voltron.

“It’s alright,” Keith said as he turned to continue his aimless pacing.

“No. No wait!” Hunk pleaded as he danced around the mess and between counters trying to close the gap between them. “It’s not alright. I was totally in the wrong there and I’m sorry. Really. I am.”

Keith sighed. “It’s okay.” And at Hunk’s critical expression, he repeated, “No seriously. If I saw another Galra, I’d probably throw the nearest thing too.”

“Yeah, but—” Hunk protested.

“It’s _fine_ ,” Keith stressed, a little louder and more forceful than he meant. He didn’t _intend_ to sound intimidating, but it came out that way just the same and Hunk jumped back a bit. Embarrassed that he’d just successfully burned yet another bridge Keith slinked back. “I’ll… be going now.”

But Hunk grabbed his shoulder before he could. “No, please stay. I uh… I could use your help.” At Keith’s confused expression, Hunk clarified, “Honest. I mean, if you’ve got some time, I could really use it.”

Time was the one thing Keith seemed to have an over abundance of. “I don’t see how I can be of any use,” he admitted. 

He meant it in a broad sense, but if Hunk picked up on it, it didn’t show. Instead, he lead Keith back into the kitchen where a few plates had been assembled in varying states of being completed and in progress. Keith didn’t recognize most, rather, any of the dishes, which wasn’t surprising exactly. The universe was a large place with a diverse pallet of ingredients. Still, it looked like Hunk had spent a considerable amount of time preparing.

“Since we’ve picked up a couple more Paladins, I figured now was an as good an excuse as any to go all out,” Hunk said as he proceeded to expertly dice some vegetables. “But then I realized, I don’t really know what Shiro likes to eat.”

“What he likes to eat?” Keith repeated. In all honesty, the question never crossed Keith’s mind before now, and upon thinking on it, he really didn’t know what Shiro enjoyed. He shrugged and shook his head. “I’m sorry. I don’t think I can help you.”

“Aw come on,” Hunk insisted. “You’ve been with Shiro for at least a couple of mon—” Hunk self-consciously stopped himself and scratched the back of his neck. “I mean, you’ve known him for a few quinte-rr…?”

Keith blew out a long sigh. “Yes, I’ve been around Shiro for a few months now.”

Hunk looked stunned. “Wait, do you actually know what months are or was that translated into something you understand by the ship?”

“I know what months are,” Keith replied. “They’re approximately one lunar orbit around your earth.” At Hunk’s contemplative look, he clarified, “I sort of pressed Shiro until he helped me learn the conversions between his and my units. So, yes, I know and can convert to your minutes, seconds, days, and also distance units, weight…”

“Huh…” was all Hunk said for a moment before he shoved the vegetables into a bowl and set it aside. “Why’d you learn all that? I mean, it doesn’t sound like very useful information. You aren’t likely to run into an earth clock.” Hunk put his hands up apologetically before picking up a bowl of batter and stirring. “Not that I’m not appreciative, but until now you weren’t likely to use it, and it’s not like you could’ve known you were going to meet us like this.”

Keith sat at one of the bar stools and tapped his forefingers together, deep in thought. “At first? It was a way to keep him talking.”

Hunk made a confused noise, and Keith continued, “We… didn’t exactly hit it off when we first met.” Understatement of the century. “I’d ask him questions, and he’d wait for me to leave. Honestly, if wasn’t for Haggar, I don’t doubt that he’d have rather remained in the arena than team up with me.”

Hunk stopped stirring. “Whaaa…? But you’re a good guy. That’s really harsh.”

Keith stared at Hunk blankly. “You can’t know that.”

Hunk didn’t hesitate when he replied, “Sure I can,” while he continued with the batter. “I’m a good judge of character. It’s how I became friends with Lance before any of this started.”

Keith snorted in disbelief. He couldn’t be half as good as he thought if Lance was the first friend he had among the current group. “Well, regardless of if _you_ would or not, _Shiro_ didn’t trust me, not at first. He remained tight lipped about anything regarding himself or home. I needed something neutral to talk to him about.”

“Huh… but why units of measurement?” Hunk asked.

“I don’t remember,” Keith lied, “but it became a kind of project.”

“I see…” Hunk replied. “But I still don’t get how you can know Shiro for months and not know what he likes to eat.”

Keith idly drew circles on the counter with his finger. “It’s easier than you think. The Galra military galley isn’t exactly the apex of the culinary arts, and, honestly, I think Shiro was content to have something to eat period. I don’t know what he was eating in the arena, but I could hazard an unpleasant guess.”

It took Keith a moment to realize that Hunk had stopped stirring. Keith wasn’t good at reading the emotions of others, but something that was probably between shock and sympathy decorated Hunk’s expression. 

Then a moment later it was gone and Hunk continued working. “Okay. Well, no biggie. I can always ask Matt or maybe Pidge what Shiro likes. What about you?”

“What about me?”

“What do you like to eat?” Hunk clarified.

“Uh…” Keith hesitated. “I don’t know. I just eat whatever is being served.” He never really thought about it. It wasn’t important.

Something dark crossed over Hunk’s face. “Nope. Nuh, uh.” Hunk protested. “I’m not having it.” He stepped around the counter and grabbed Keith.

“Hey!” Keith yelped as he was lead where the prepared food was.

“If you don’t know what you like then we’re just going to have to find out, now won’t we?” Hunk grinned widely as he reached over to a platter and handed something to Keith.“Here. We’ll start simple. Try this. Tell me what you think.”

Keith eyed the foodstuff suspiciously. It was a layered triangular piece with something purple and gooey next to something a brownish orange between two porous white things. He took a cautious bite out of it.

“… Well?” Hunk asked expectantly.

“It doesn’t seem very nutritious,” confessed Keith as he tried to dislodge some of the more adhesive substance that had collected on the roof of his mouth.

“No no,” Hunk protested while crossing his arms in an ‘X’. “How does it _taste_? Do you like it or…?”

Keith shrugged. “It’s okay, I guess.”

“Okay, not a huge fan of PB and J. Got it. Well I mean, it’s not actually PB and J but it was close enough and Lance likes it enough to beg for it.”

Keith had no idea who Phoebe and Jay were but simply nodded in acknowledgment.

“Alright, how about this: we call them deviled eggs,” Hunk explained as he plucked what looked like half an egg with its insides removed and then put back in. He handed it to Keith, who shrugged and swallowed it whole.

“What?” Keith asked at Hunk’s defeated expression.

“You were supposed to _eat_ it,” Hunk insisted.

Keith’s ears fanned in confusion. “But, that’s what I did?”

“No, I mean,” Hunk ran a palm over his face. “You couldn’t taste it by swallowing it like that. Here.” He grabbed a second egg half and handed it to Keith. “Try again.”

Keith huffed before he accepted the item and made an act of slowly chewing the gelatinous foodstuff.

“Well… what do you think?” Hunk asked.

Keith swallowed before replying. “It’s alright,” he admitted.

“And…?” Hunk continued.

“… It’s alright?” Keith repeated, uncertain what else he was expected to say.

Hunk rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Let me rephrase this, would you ask for it?”

“If you were serving it, sure,” Keith admitted.

Keith could only conclude he gave the wrong answer as Hunk let out a frustrated groan. “Alright, so deviled eggs aren’t your thing.”

“No, it’s alright. They’re fine,” Keith protested.

But Hunk wouldn’t have it. “Nope. I’m not going to be satisfied until we fine _something_ that makes you happy.” A timer buzzed and Hunk’s eyes lit up. “And I think I know exactly what that’ll be.”

Hunk put on some odd soft gauntlets and reached opened a wall mounted box. Hot air rushed out as the gourmet pulled something out of it.

“Now I’ll know you’re an inhuman monster if these don’t do it for you,” Hunk said as he set it on the counter. “Just… hold on a second. They aren’t ready yet.”

Keith let the comment slide as he made his way back to the barstool. Hunk proceeded to cover the latest experiment with something that Keith could only describe as festive.

“Now _these,_ ” Hunk explained when he had finished, “are cupcakes, or at least, a pretty good approximation of them. Like anything here, I had to take quite a few liberties, but still… I guarantee they’ll put a smile on anyone’s face. We mostly serve them at people’s birthdays.”

Keith accepted the offering. The bottom was covered in aluminum, and the top was coated in something thick and cyan and decorated with small hard multi-colored bits. He took a bite while Hunk leaned in expectantly.

In retrospect, Hunk should’ve stayed back. The cupcake was so repulsive, so _revolting_ to Keith that he spewed it back out in a spray of brittle fragments. The young Galra had never in his life tasted something so disgustingly sweet. He was half convinced he could _feel_ the cavities forming in his teeth.

“Alright, so cupcakes: not a fan,” Hunk said as he reached for a towel to wipe himself off with.

“Sorry,” said Keith, in between trying to clean off his tongue with the end of his sleeve. Hunk made a dismissive motion. “Look, I appreciate the effort, but this really isn’t necessary.”

Hunk sighed and sat on a bar stool. “Yeah, I know. I was just… you know… hoping I could help make you and Shiro feel more comfortable.”

“Don’t bother,” said Keith. Vrekt, he could _still_ taste it. “It’s not worth the effort.”

Keith didn’t understand why Hunk deflated when he said that. The amount of effort it was taking to find something Keith enjoyed was obviously straining. Shouldn’t Hunk be relieved he didn’t have to continue?

“Yeah… I suppose,” Hunk conceded, reluctantly.

“Uh, do you have something I could wash this down with?” Keith asked, after a beat.

Hunk listlessly gestured to the corner. “There’s refreshments over there.”

There were several pitchers laid out in a row. Keith reached for one of them at random and poured himself a glass.

“No wait, not that one!” Hunk sputtered.

But Keith had already downed the glass before he could process what Hunk had said. 

“Oh man, I’m really sorry about this,” Hunk apologized. “These goyah roots we got on Berlua taste like vaguely like a cross between a carrot and a pear. They’re really juicy but super sour. I was trying to make a space version of lemonade but I didn't get around to adding sugar to it yet.”

Keith took another sip. “It tastes alright to me?”

“Really?” Hunk asked, taken aback. He picked up a glass for himself and took a swig. His face puckered inward. “Wow! _That_ is sour. Here let me fix that for you,” he said as he headed to the pantry.

“No no. This is fine,” replied Keith, who was halfway into pouring himself another glass.

“Wait, don't you want me to add sugar to it?” Hunk asked.

“Why?” asked Keith, as he finished his second glass. “This is fine. Really.”

“Huh…” said Hunk with a thoughtful expression. “If you say so.”

At that point, the intercom came to life and Allura’s voice echoed  through the ship. “Paladins, please report to the bridge. Pidge has an idea for a mission.”

**Author's Note:**

> When I wrote this, I was trying to create something that could believably happen in Squirenonny's universe without challenging the cannon. I hope I did an okay job at it. I figure Keith's alien taste buds were a relatively safe area to poke around in, and in general I don't see Hunk and Keith interact at all in the fandom, so I figured that was a good angle to shoot for.


End file.
